After a groundswell of support from nearly a half million Facebook users, Robert Pattinson and sassy older women everywhere, Betty White has confirmed that she will be appearing on Saturday Night Live. The comedienne, who has experienced a renaissance this year after playing the wacky, matchmaking grandmother in The Proposal, receiving a SAG Life Achievement Award and starring in a Superbowl Snickers commercial, told People magazine that she doesn't "know why or how" she has so many supporters now, but "it's been wonderful." Now, onto the details of that much-rumored performance at Studio 8H.
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On Friday, Movieline relayed the news that the rumored Conan O'Brien vengeance tour -- a live performance circuit that would cleverly skirt that clause in the comedian's exit deal with NBC which stipulated that the comedian could not appear on television before September -- would kick off with an April 30 appearance in Phoenix, Arizona. Ticketmaster had posted the event on its website with minimal details and a guarantee that Coco Nation could purchase tickets on Monday, March 8, but when eager fans flocked to the site at 10:00 MST this morning, they realized that Ticketmaster had unceremoniously yanked the event from its website.
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A Beijing court today threw out the case of an author who alleged James Cameron plagiarized Avatar from his 1999 novel The Legend of the Blue Crow. Zhou Shaomou's book concerns a soldier at a space station who clones other human species for "exploration missions"; he was suing Cameron and 20th Century Fox for 8 percent of the film's revenue to date. What? $200 million seems reasonable for a passing resemblance, no? Especially if it means Delgo is entitled to a billion dollars or more down the line? Appeal! [NYT]
· Sean Hayes has officially come out of the closet on the cover of The Advocate. "I feel like I've contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I'm open to it. You're welcome, Advocate."
· In utterly unrelated news, has Zachary Quinto become Madonna's new best friend?
· Lenny Kravitz is joining Selma, the next film from his Precious director Lee Daniels.
· And why shouldn't Jonah Hill replace Demetri Martin in the role of a former athlete in Bennett Miller's rebooted Moneyball?
· Miley Cyrus talks about boyfriend Liam Hemsworth to Teen Vogue: "I think we're both deeper than normal people -- what they think and how they feel." Never stop delighting us, Miles.
· It looks like an Oscar bomb went off this morning at Movieline HQ, where a thick layer of discarded awards-pool ballots and flat cups of Champagne has settled like a blanket over every square inch of the office. As such, the usual trade-news round-up we bring you to start the day has been preempted by emergency clean-up duty, unearthing a variety of news and notes from the detritus. Among them: Multi-Oscar-winner The Hurt Locker will enjoy a theatrical renaissance of sorts this week, roughly doubling its current screen count of 274 while expecting a second wind in the home video market, where it has already moved 710,000 units (including downloads). Crazy Heart will expand less aggressively, tacking on another 200 or so screens to its current count of 1,274. Enjoy! [THR]
A word about the Razzies, a nominee resorts to party-crashing, and more Hollywood Ink after the jump.
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Oscar Day brings an abbreviated Weekend Receipts: Disney execs were doing a feverish funderwhack today, as the final tallies for Tim Burton's 3D take on Alice in Wonderland were in the vicinity of $116.3 million -- a frabjous haul for the record books! In a distant second place was Antoine Fuqua's Brooklyn's Finest, taking in $13.5 million, followed by Shutter Island, down 41.3% in its third session with $13.3 million. Kevin Smith's Cop Out fell 49.8% in week two, earning just over $9 million, while James Cameron's Avatar hung in at 5th place with $7.7 million. We'd look up the last time a Best Picture winner was in the box office Top 5 going into the Oscars, but we have a pitcher of potent blue cocktails to mix. Have a great awards, everyone! [BoxOfficeMojo]
American moviegoers' wallets are a stunning $41 million lighter today thanks to Alice in Wonderland, which is currently enjoying the biggest March opening ever. The Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration is the latest film to capitalize on the 3D-ticket bump, and if you don't believe it, look where Avatar slid to on Friday -- its first without a monopoly on 3D screens. The week's only other wide release -- Brooklyn's Finest -- performed mediocre at best, while Shutter Island, Cop Out and The Crazies all managed respectable showings against the Disney juggernaut. Find Friday's complete top 10 after the jump.
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So you know what you're doing Sunday night, but do you know where you're doing it? No matter which direction the Academy Awards take you, check in with Movieline's livetweet extravaganza, and if you're in New York, please do stop by our Oscar Viewing Party at 92YTribeca. There will be prizes, drinks and good company just like you to salute and/or heckle winners off the screen. Anyway, please read on for convenient talking points for that night and the rest of the weekend, and as always, may your Oscar ballot be a winner. Cheers!
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· Here's a gallery of "honest" Best Picture movie posters. [College Humor]
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Movieline's commenters have enjoyed a committed sexual relationship with Mo'nique for some time. Now, after years of waiting, five of Movieline's retorting fans receive Mo'nique's approval to schtup other people. This is a sure sign that humping the cute girl/studly dude/foxy transgendered person who works the crank at Bar Louie/a nearby wharf/Dairy Queen is A-OK. So, who wins the liberating lay?
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Let's end this Friday with delightful news: The Office, 30 Rock, and Community have all been renewed for another season. You'll recall that Parks and Recreation was renewed back in early February. This means NBC's entire Thursday night lineup will return, and you can continue murmuring, "I can't believe Chevy Chase/Tracy Morgan/British ideas can be so funny" once a week.
[THR]
Every Friday, as another week reels, stumbles and flops to a close at Movieline HQ, a familiar sound can be heard floating from the conference room. Down the hall it winds and soars, the silken roar lifting heavy spirits and brightening bleary eyes. And when that door opens, and the naked cry is heard -- Say whaaaa? -- you could almost deal with another five straight days of pop culture's most outlandish, appalling absurdities. Almost. Instead, let the Say Whaaaa? Singers lull you into the weekend. Hit it, fellas!
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· Kirsten Dunst doesn't have any dated films this year and she's fallen out of the Spider-Man franchise, but somehow, she scored the cover of V. Her karaoke video must have clinched it!
· "Mickey Rourke's Sex Marathon: 14 Women, One Night." Click.
· You know what the recent Tonight Show kerfuffle needed? More murder. ABC's Castle is happy to provide it.
· The Jam baby helped The Office beat Grey's Anatomy in last night's ratings.
· THR: "What are some of the potential titles for Shit My Dad Says?" CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler: "Um, one is Shat My Dad Says." Brilliant.
It's true! Conan O'Brien has cleared his busy schedule of Twitter brain trusts and dolphin meet and greets to perform a live show in April, fulfilling Megan Mullally's prophecy that Coco will "have the last laugh". TMZ broke the story an hour ago, with confirmation of one show from Ticketmaster.
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The casting shortlist for Captain America has gotten even shorter. A few days after onetime candidate for the role Scott Porter took the lead in the CW pilot Nomads (apparently indicating that he'd missed out on the Joe Johnston-directed film), now actor Michael Cassidy (pictured) has confirmed via his Twitter that he's been cut from contention as well. Still potentially in the mix? John Krasinski, Mike Vogel, Patrick Flueger, Chace Crawford, and Garret Hedlund. There's still time, Angus T. Jones! [Slashfilm, EW]
